Hey Larry,
Look @ their Catalog on page 19 of 48 to look @ their GTAW model... As far as reaching every part of the market, I do agree that the selection is limited and perhaps because they probably were only interested in selling within the German and Swedish markets prior to this new push towards globalizing their visibility... Here's the link to their catalog:
http://www.kjellberg.de/files/Documents/Welding/Products/Others/Product_brochure_en.pdfTheir main claim to fame: In 1908, Oscar Kjellberg receives the German imperial patent no. 231733: “Electrode and procedure for electrical soldering” and is therefore recognised as the inventor of the coated welding.
1921
Seven Swedish and German partners establish the “Kjellberg Elektroden GmbH” in Berlin. Largest shareholder is the Swedish company ESAB with its general managing director Oscar Kjellberg.
1922
Upon Oscar Kjellberg’s suggestion the Kjellberg Elektro-Maschinen GmbH is established in Finsterwalde. The goal is to manufacture suitable welding generators for Kjellberg electrodes.
1923
The first welding generator Ke 200/1450 developed and built in Finsterwalde is presented at the spring fair in Leipzig.
In Finsterwalde the production of welding electrodes starts. The oldest product is the rod electrode OK G2/1, which was used for repair welding.
1937
Kjellberg provides three technological versions for automatic welders: with electrode head for endless welding of rod electrodes, with welding head for bare wire coils and with carbon head for thin sheet welding.
1941
The patented Kaell-Kjellberg-Lundin method improves the efficiency of metalworking considerably. A double wire electrode is thereby welded in three arcs at the same time.
Kjellberg is the world’s largest manufacturer of arc welding technology.1943
After just two months of development Kjellberg introduces the so-called “Maulwurf” – “the mole” – the first industrial solution for automated submerged arc welding.
1962
Kjellberg Finsterwalde supplies the first industrial plasma cutting unit WSH III-M with 50 KW.
1962
Kjellberg files the patent for FineFocus plasma cutting.
1963
The plasma melt cutting unit PA 100 is the first machine which is manufactured in series production at Kjellberg in Finsterwalde.
1966
Introduction of FineFocus plasma cutting with the PA 20. Increased cutting speeds, dross free cuts and new processing options contribute to its international success
1970
For 20 years the company is incorporated into the so called “Mansfeld combine” as people-owned enterprise “Schweißtechnik Finsterwalde” – company for welding technology.
For the first time ever air is used as carrying gas for plasma cutting.
1971
For the first time plasma cutting machines are used in parallel operation. Eight machines of the first series are delivered to Japan.
1973
The cutting unit PA 40 cuts with oxygen for the first time. This innovation positions plasma cutting as cost-effective technology in the market.
1984
The Japanese O-A-Mach Corporation in Tokyo obtains a license for production and sales of plasma cutting torches, since the required delivery quantity for the Japanese market can’t be fulfilled in time in Finsterwalde due to lack of capacities.
1986
The underwater plasma cutting technology opens up a new application area. This is made possible by introducing the plasma cutting unit PA 50UWP with swirl gas technology.
Inverters are available as all new generation of welding power sources, later also for plasma cutting machines.
1991
The company is reorganised and a new national and international distribution system is established, the entire product range is replaced by new developments.
1993
The first CNC-controlled multi-bevel trimming plant with two triple-bevel heads worldwide is used for the project "Shipbuilding 2000" at the shipyard HDW Kiel - technology developed by Prof. Friedrich-Wilhelm Bach of the University of Dortmund. The plasma cutting of flat bulb bars is made possible due to specially designed robot torches.
2000
HiFocus, a new plasma cutting technology with laser-like precision, captures the market.
With enhanced modules for the new automatic welder series KA Kjellberg Finsterwalde meets the increasing demand for submerged-arc welding technology.
2001
The launch of the HiFinox technology enables for the first time worldwide metallic blank and dross-free cutting of thin sheets of chromium nickel steel.
2004
The very first flow-controlled automatic plasma gas supply worldwide is a big step towards a new dimension of quality and reproducibility of plasma cuts.
The implementation of the HiFocusPLUS technology enables higher cutting speeds and nearly vertical plasma cuts.
With three FineFocus 800 plasma cutting machines connected in parallel and a customised exchangeable plasma torch for 900 A a new record is established: for the dismantling of nuclear reactors stainless steel walls of 130 mm thickness are cut in water depths of several meters.
2006
The HiFocus 280i and 360i plasma cutting machines with primary clocked inverter technology extend the HiFocus series.
2007
The Kjellberg foundation announces a 20 million euro investment plan designed to secure the future of Kjellberg Finsterwalde.
A new generation of consumables called YellowXLife increases the lifetime of the consumables and, thus, reduces set-up times significantly due to their high quality.
2008Kjellberg Finsterwalde Elektroden und Maschinen GmbH headquarters
The HiFocus 440i is successfully placed on the market as the world’s most powerful plasma cutting machine.
And this probably explains where they are @ currently:
The Kjellberg Finsterwalde Elektroden und Maschinen GmbH is
demerged into three separate companies. The Kjellberg Finsterwalde Plasma und Maschinen GmbH, the Kjellberg Finsterwalde Schweißtechnik und Verschleißschutzsysteme GmbH and the Kjellberg Finsterwalde Elektroden und Zusatzwerkstoffe GmbH are established as a result thereof.
The Kjellberg Finsterwalde Schweißtechnik und Verschleißschutzsysteme GmbH’s headquarters move to the North-Rhine-Westphalian city of Witten.
The Kjellberg Finsterwalde Elektroden und Zusatzwerkstoffe GmbH inaugurates its new manufacturing facility at the Massen location.
Their problem is with their marketing and PR department that doesn't seem to want to venture out as much as she should towards emerging markets beside China and India... And since they have
"demerged" recently they only look like they're offering niche type products only although, they must be making a pretty decent margin for their specialty systems. products.
Respectfully,
Henry